Spring is here and we have all gotten that primordial urge to clean, dig and plant.
Women have conducted Spring cleaning in this community since pioneer days when their ancestors heralded the first warm weather as a sign to wash, sweep and clear the house of winter’s dinginess. Guys know the drill – they are sent outside to rake, bag and haul off trash that has accumulated over the past five months.
Neighbors will greet neighbors and people will wave to passing cars as they clear the flower bed and tidy up the front yard.
Families who take pride in their home show it and that pride returns to them in the form of higher property values, less crime and the respect of living in a well-kept neighborhood.
We all realize Clarksdale has “let things go” for too long. A drive down any long street in this town will turn up a burnt-out or boarded-up house. And litter is everywhere.
But change is in the air, so let’s smile, get to work and start cleaning up!
We think Mayor Chuck Espy should make cleaning up Clarksdale a top priority in his last few month in office this spring. If he aspires to a higher office, he needs to unite with those who want to clean up Clarksdale and leave it better than he found it.
We want to urge our Code Enforcement Officer to simply do your job. To our City Commissioners you must back this man up when he makes the powerful and influential who have lots of rental property clean up their act.
As we have pointed out before, there is a need for commercial property owners to clean up the main streets leading into our community. They may seem fine and normal to those who have looked at them for years, but they leave less than a good first impression on those driving in for the first time.
And last but not least we want to remind local businesses that every store in this town has a stake in the appearance of this community. Now is the time for run-down property downtown to be cited and cleaned up. We have too many eye-sores that are also health and safety hazards.
Your Clarksdale Press Register urges you to take a little pride in our town. The rewards will make us all smile and be proud to call this community home.
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